Hurricane Vince
Not to be confused with Hurricane Vance Hurricane Vince was the longest lived Atlantic hurricane on record, overtaking the 1899 San Ciriaco hurricane. A very powerful and catastrophic Cape Verde hurricane known for it's extremely high death toll, Vince formed from a tropical wave on November 6. Vince was also an extremely rare Secondary Cape Verde hurricane. It is most infamous for causing the collision between the SS Cyane and the SS Unsan, resulting in the sinking of the latter ship, and resulting in the deaths of 2,349 people. Only 82 people aboard the Unsan survived. Vince also killed 154 people outside of the sinking, Including 78 in Dominica, 33 in Martinique, 30 in Puerto Rico and 13 in the United States. Meteorological history ] A tropical wave was detected off the coast of Cape Verde on November 5. On November 6 it had developed into a Tropical Depression. It strengthened into a Tropical Storm on November 7; the National Hurricane Center assigned it the name Vince. On November 8, Vince weakened slightly before re-strengthening into a Category 1 hurricane. On November 9, Vince rapidly intensified into a Category 4 hurricane and moved near the Lesser Antilles. Vince strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane (winds: 165 mph) before making landfall in Dominica. The storm also affected Martinique and other parts of the Lesser Antilles. On November 10, Vince made landfall in the Honduras at Category 4 strength and affected Belize as well. Vince made landfall in Texas and Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane and affected multiple other midwest US states as well. Vince entered Canada as a Category 1 hurricane. and affected Nova Scotia and Newfoundland before heading off into the polar Atlantic. On November 27, the National Hurricane Center announced that Vince had dissipated over Ireland. Impact Caribbean Damage caused by Vince in the Caribbean was extensive. The Lesser Antilles was hit worst of all, with Dominica and Martinique being hit hardest. In Dominica, 240,000 were left homeless and 85% of the buildings were completely leveled. In Martinique, 80% of buildings were destroyed and 190,000 were left homeless as a result. Haiti was also hit hard, leaving 150,000 homeless in the country alone. Estimates say that around 65% of buildings were destroyed. Canada Damage in Canada, while minimal, had somewhat of an impact on the economy of Halifax. Destruction of trees in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland was extensive. Aftermath Retirement Due to the massive damage caused by the hurricane and the sinking of the SS Unsan, the name Vince was retired in the spring of 1994. It will never again be used for an Atlantic hurricane. The name was replaced by Vance for the 1999 season, which itself would be retired after the 2005 season. Environment Canada stated that the retirement was justified due to the sinking of a Canadian ship, impact on the economy and the widespread destruction of trees throughout Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Records The National Hurricane Center announced that Vince had broken the record for longest lasting Atlantic hurricane on record, surpassing the previous record set by Hurricane Ginger in 1971. A re-analysis of the 1899 San Ciriaco hurricane in 2003 showed that it lasted longer than Ginger, and Hurricane Rita in 2005 lasted slightly longer as well.Category:Cape Verde hurricanes Category:Retired Atlantic hurricanes Category:Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes Category:Costly storms Category:Deadly storms Category:Long-Lasting storms Category:Devastating Storms Category:Storms that sunk ships